The Golden Compass

His Dark Materials, Book 1

By: Philip Pullman

Narrated by: Philip Pullman, Joanna Wyatt, Rupert Degas, Alison Dowling, Douglas Blackwell, Jill Shilling, Stephen Thorne, Sean Barrett, Garrick Hagon, John O'Connor, Susan Sheridan, Full Cast

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “MARVELOUS.”—The New Yorker • An Entertainment Weekly All-Time Greatest Novel • A Newsweek Top 100 Book of All Time • Winner of the Carnegie Medal • The Inspiration for the HBO Original Series His Dark Materials

DON’T MISS THE EPIC FINALE TO LYRA’S STORY: THE ROSE FIELD, AVAILABLE NOW!

Discover the modern fantasy classic that kicked off the epic trilogies His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust—a world where humans have animal familiars and parallel universes are within reach.

“Pullman is quite possibly a genius.”—Newsweek

A war is brewing in Lyra’s world between those who would keep people in ignorance and those willing to fight for freedom. Lyra is thrust into the middle of the conflict when her uncle Asriel comes to Oxford, fomenting rebellion, and when her best friend, Roger, suddenly disappears.

Lyra learns that Roger was kidnapped by a shadowy organization that is rumored to experiment on children. To find him, she will travel to the cold, far North, where armored bears and witch clans rule—and where Asriel is attempting to build a bridge to a parallel world.

What Lyra doesn’t know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other—and that her actions will have consequences not just in her world, but in all the worlds beyond.

Look for the modern fantasy classics of HIS DARK MATERIALS:
The Golden Compass • The Subtle Knife • The Amber Spyglass

And Lyra’s adventures continue in THE BOOK OF DUST:
La Belle Sauvage • The Secret Commonwealth • The Rose Field©1995 Philip Pullman; (P)1999 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra’s adventures.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

“Extraordinary storytelling at its very best.”—The Detroit Free Press

“Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling.”—The Washington Post

not good for listening the car

Plenty of reviews will tell you about the wonderful story. This performance is full cast audio. I feel like the mixing was off though. Some voices are very clear, but the voice of the narrator (Phillip Pullman) is oddly...muffled. It's fine to listen to while going for a walk or doing quiet things at home. It's often quite difficult to follow while in the car though. His voice (or the mixing thereof) just doesn't work well with road noise even in a relatively quiet car. Just a note for those who are looking for things to while away the long drives.

Yay for a female heroine!

I love that the heroine of this book,12-year-old Lyra, is a feisty girl who knows more about acting humanely than most of the adults in this novel. The world she lives is similar to the present day with some twists – namely talking polar bears, witches, daemons, and a splash of Norwegian folk-lore. The mix of reality and fantasy reminded me somewhat of “The Amulet of Samarkand,” by Jonathan Stroud, although if you know anything about the Stroud series you’d see profound differences regarding the role of daemons. Daemons in this novel are attached to each character and a reflection of their soul. The full-cast narration was superb and a joy to listen to. There are many great ambiguous moments regarding the decisions Lyra must make and you soon see that all is not as it seems. This is the first book in a series.

Couldn't Be Better

Don't be put off by the "Young Adults" designation--anyone who loves The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter should read or listen to all three of these excellent books. I can't think of any books that I could recommend with more enthusiasm for a worthwhile excursion beyond the mundane.

This book brought my love for fantasy back to life

After being bored to tears slogging my way through Goodkind, Robert Jordan, and the Game of Thrones guy along with countless others I'd pretty much decided that my love for fantasy must have just fizzled out in my late 20's. Boy am I glad I decided to give it one more shot. I'd never heard of this book or the author but with the good reviews and one more book balance this month I thought "What the heck, one more shot" WOW was I blown away. This guy is just amazing. Unique story, unusual characters, great setting,pacing, plot twists. I can't quite put my finger on any one thing. It's just magic. And the narration! I don't know what the 3 star reviewer was smoking but this is simply the best. I wish all fantasy books we're brought to life by this talented group of actors. Mad, MAD props to Philip!! He brought the magic back!!

Brilliant

This book is a masterpiece. I'm a writer myself; I don't say that lightly. This is literature at its finest. The plot is absolutely engrossing, but what's truly remarkable is that the characters are so rich and real, their conflicts so beautifully dramatized, and the writing itself! Every sentence is crafted like a poem pushing the story on and on. Every word counts. The author make religious and scientific ideas thrilling. And the worlds he creates! Vivid, beautiful.

The audiobooks production is the best I've heard. The author narrates the book with actors playing the dialogue. The actress who plays Lyra uses an irritating voice and it isn't right. It sounds like an adult actress playing a one-note stupid, squeeky six year old, not a multidimensional scrappy 11 year old. But the rest of the voices are terrific, expecially Philip Pullman's, the author and narrator. I can't imagine reading the book after hearing such a beautiful rendition. No movie has ever swept me away more than this audiobook did.